SportStyle: New Brands, Collabs Bring Fashion to Golf Apparel (2024)

Golf is in the midst of a major face-lift — and upheaval.

The sport that has long been synonymous with an affluent lifestyle and reserved for executives and high-ranking officials at country clubs is seeing disruption in many aspects including new tournaments, new brands and new lifestyles.

Companies such as Kith and Hypebeast, known more for their streetwear sensibilities, recently introduced collaborations or projects around the sport.

Hypebeast has opened a pop-up location Clubhouse for its golf concept Hypegolf, offering new and longtime golf lifestyle brands, activations and a golf simulator for customers to play while they shopped. Lululemon, which introduced a men’s golf collection earlier this year, recently signed former NBA champion J.R. Smith, who is a walk-on for North Carolina A&T State’s golf team, as its first male golf ambassador. A.P.C. this year launched its first golf collection; the buzzy sports brand Vuori also offers golf clothes, and Taavo Somers, the man behind the Freemans Sporting Club, sold that business and got into the golf world by reimagining Inness, a getaway in Accord, New York, that includes a no-frills nine-hole golf course which is the antithesis of an upscale country club.

But it was Kith’s deal with TaylorMade that really turned heads. TaylorMade is a 43-year-old dominant golf brand best known for its drivers and balls — not for being cool. But by partnering with the New York-based trendsetter, the brand is setting out to change that perception. Kith collaborated with the sports brand on a driver along with a line of complementary apparel such as varsity and coach’s jackets, wind shirts, hoodies and shorts whose designs were anything but staid and stodgy.

These are just the latest happenings with brands steeped in cool culture. In 2021, Malbon Golf teamed with New Balance on the 977G sneaker with a golf sole available exclusively on DropX, and the golf brand and StockX revealed plans to create golf experiences in the U.S. in 2022. Malbon has also partnered with Dockers, Akila, Footjoy and Budweiser on capsules.

Prior to all of this, Jordan Brand released its popular retro sneakers but with golf soles, building on its dedicated assortment of golf sneakers.

These partnerships are markers of big changes to how the sport looks. Case in point: Justin Thomas, a former Polo Ralph Lauren athlete who is signed with Greyson, sported skintight joggers with exposed ankles and a hoodie on the opening day of The Open at the revered St. Andrews in Scotland.

Brands such as Greyson, which was founded by former Ralph Lauren executive Charlie Schaefer, and other golf lifestyle labels are helping to turn the tide for younger golfers who may see themselves more aligned with a Tom Brady or Stephen Curry, two stars in their respective sports who are vocal about their love for golf, than the legend Jack Nicklaus.

Today, the average player on the course either sticks to traditional style rules, or pushes the envelope with a cooler of beers and music blasting from the cart as they play a round with friends. The latter group also hangs out at Topgolf, the U.S. golf-themed entertainment venue that was acquired in 2021 by Callaway Golf. Prior to the acquisition, Topgolf reportedly had full-year revenue of $1.05 billion in 2019 and was exploring going public with a $4 billion valuation.

Although the pandemic ended those plans as the company was hindered by lockdowns and sales dropped, conversations around golf picked up again in 2020. The game was considered one of the few sports deemed safe during the early days of COVID-19 when being outdoors and social distancing were the best ways to stay safe from the virus.

And the numbers show its popularity.

According to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association’s 2022 participation report, the interest in golf continued to be strong with on- and off-course participation numbers increasing 9.6 percent over the past two years and 1.7 percent in 2021 over the prior year. Interestingly, the biggest gain was in off-course — defined as driving range, entertainment venue and indoor simulator — with two-year participation numbers jumping 24.8 percent, while nine- or 18-hole golf course participation was up 3.5 percent in the same period.

Golf Datatech reported that sales of golf apparel increased 32.8 percent in 2021 over 2020, led by men’s and women’s shirts, which rose 38 and 38.7 percent, respectively. Compared to 2019, sales were still up 14 percent.

“Green Grass Golf Shops represent close to three-quarters of all golf apparel sold, and pro shops didn’t see the same positive bounce in the back half of 2020 that equipment did because they were not allowing people to browse, shop or try on products like they were used to,” said John Krzynowek, cofounder of Golf Datatec. “However, in 2021 sales were up significantly, rising well above pre-pandemic levels. Golf course pro shops are buzzing again, average selling prices [ASPs] are up across most apparel categories and sales are at all-time highs. Golf apparel in 2021 is another golf success story.”

Business has begun to slow this year, both in terms of participation and sales. Matt Powell, senior industry adviser for sports at The NPD Group, said U.S. sales of golf apparel so far in 2022 are flat with last year and there is no evidence that young people are picking up the game. This was a concern the sport’s leaders were battling years before the pandemic hit as participation numbers had been stagnating. Powell said the primary reasons are that golf is “not inclusive, diverse, green, simple to play and learn, or inexpensive. These attributes are not consistent with young people’s values.”

Even so, that’s not stopping brands from jumping into the market. Among the brands that are popular among younger, more fashion-forward players are Bad Birdy, Malbon and Bogey Boys. The latter is the label created last year by Macklemore, the rapper, musician and self-professed golf addict. Malbon was founded by Stephen and Erica Malbon in 2017 and is a lifestyle brand inspired by the game of golf that offers drops of hoodies and bucket hats like other popular nongolf brands. Bad Birdie is an irreverent brand that sells cabana sets in addition to polo shirts in bright colors and patterns, and tells its customers to “stop taking yourself so seriously. Grab your homies, your go-to Bad Birdie polo with the cap to match, and swing hard.”

And it’s not just brands that are making a move to change the sport — the professional arena is seeing disruption as well.

LIV Golf, a pro golf tour financed by Public Investment Fund, the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, burst onto the scene earlier this year. It counts Hall of Fame golfer Greg Norman as chief executive officer and has managed to lure top current stars and Majors champions including Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Sergio Garcia and Phil Mickelson to its ranks. Johnson, who won two major championships, signed with LIV Golf for a reported $125 million, and Mickelson signed a deal for a reported $200 million.

The tournament is already mired in controversy, however. For one, since the Public Investment Fund backs the tour, many believe it is used for sport washing, when an entity attempts to improve its reputation by hosting a sporting event. Its lucrative purses have put it at loggerheads with the PGA Tour, which has barred any player who participates in a LIV tournament to play in its tour events. Although the U.S. Department of Justice said it was investigating the PGA Tour for this decision, the controversy rages on.

In addition to offering players boatloads of cash to jump ship, LIV is also marketing itself as “golf, but louder. We supercharge the game of golf and help transform it into the sport it’s destined to become,” touts its homepage.

How the battle between LIV and PGA ultimately ends is anyone’s guess, but the upstart has certainly made its mark.

Marty Hackel, former fashion director of Golf Digest, said LIV has definitely had an impact, even among nongolfers who may not follow the sport but can’t escape the flood of stories about the new league. “People are talking about it all the time,” he said.

While the head-butting with the PGA may be garnering the most attention, LIV’s atmosphere — which “more closely represented a music festival than a country club,” according to Sports Business Journal — is most definitely attracting a younger, less serious consumer. Ditto for the brands that are embracing this new trend.

“We’re definitely seeing more fashion,” Hackel said. “Golf became so popular with a lot of people, and with younger people who have come into the game, their attitude is, ‘What’s golf clothes? it’s just a shirt and shorts.’ The golf shops try to convince people they need to wear ‘golf clothes,’ but really what you need is comfortable clothes. The younger generation is a lot more flexible about not conforming to some ridiculous standards.”

He said even private clubs, long the bastion of dress codes such as collared shirts and ankle-length pants, are lightening up. Although denim jeans are still not allowed, five-pocket pants have become popular, as have mock turtlenecks and even hoodies, as evidenced by the number of players sporting them on the chilly links at the Open last week — and the clubs are OK with those choices. “They’re more flexible today because they see it as a windfall,” he said.

As a result, there’s room for brands such as Bogey Boys, Bad Birdie, Malbon, Radmor, Chervo and J.Lindeberg, which are more active sportswear than pure golf, he said.

According to Robert Brunner, cofounder and creative director of Devereux, “Something new is coming in and they’re scared but it’ll all be for the better. The sport is going to be fine, but it’s a matter of the change that’s necessary to move it along.”

Brunner went to fashion school and had the idea of starting a younger generational golf brand. His love for golf began with his dad, whom he would play golf with growing up. “I was the kid who wore his hat backward and my shirt untucked and the pro-shop guys hated me because I didn’t follow the rules that I found silly. I think that’s why a lot of people don’t take to golf. All of the rules that won’t let me be who I am.”

Brunner said his more traditional golf brand at its peak had 300 retail customers including Nordstrom, but he made the decision to pull the brand back and be direct-to-consumer. “Golf is a tough egg to crack,” he said. “But consumers are aligning with brands more so than just buying golf apparel at a retailer, country club, or a PGA Superstore.” He added that clothing is typically the last purchase for golf because the equipment and memberships are so expensive.

Eastside Golf cofounders Olajuwon Ajanaku and Earl Cooper, who met at Morehouse College where they were on the school’s championship golf team, both entered the sport through youth programs at young ages. From there, Olajuwon turned pro and Cooper became a professional coach. While Golf Digest named Cooper one of the Best Young Golf Teachers in America, Ajanaku left the professional ranks because he couldn’t afford it anymore. But he returned to the sport and created Eastside Golf, coming up with a new logo for his polo shirt and bag. The logo attracted so much attention that he produced more clothing and tapped Cooper to operate the brand with him.

“Our first partner was Clubhouse Supply in Osaka, Japan,” Cooper said. “They ordered 35 pieces and sold out in 24 hours so they came back with a $10,000 purchase order in May 2020 despite COVID-19.” Now strictly direct-to-consumer, the brand has also inked high-profile collaborations with Jordan, BMW, Corona and the NBA.

“The NBA has been huge for golf,” Cooper said. “They’re open minded to work with another sport, but it’s authentic to those players. Steph [Curry] and [Jayson] Tatum went from the NBA Finals to the golf course.”

Ajanaku sees the success of his brand as an indicator of what’s possible in golf — but knows the changes will be gradual. “I’ve only seen a small change in what people wear,” he said. “With how the country clubs work as the ‘good ol’ boys’ clubs, it’s still the same. There are some clubs that still don’t allow women.” But he said his brand will continue to seek change and “continue to press everybody around us to do the right thing as well.”

Like Brunner, Ajanaku and Cooper, Senna Made founder Matt Senna started golfing during his youth and even worked at the esteemed Baltusrol Golf Club in New Jersey to experience the golf club lifestyle firsthand. But the club he belongs to today is “more laid-back” and although its membership base still leans toward the older side, “slowly but surely there are guys with families under 40 joining and that changes the culture of the club.” He pointed to TravisMathew, which is owned by Callaway, as one of the brands that combines golf and surf culture as one of the “new guys doing things that look a little more nontraditional.”

“Now you have a lot of companies coming from skate and street culture and it reminds me of the early streetwear days when a ton of companies were popping up every day,” said Senna, whose brand is best known for its collectible head covers. “I think the industry needs it. Too much has been stagnant and needed change for 30 years. This will help a new generation connect with the sport.”

For two seasons, Todd Snyder has collaborated with Footjoy, another golf industry staple, on a line of footwear and apparel that has sold out almost immediately. Marketed as a “capsule collection for the man whose style plays from the back Ts,” the line offers a “gentleman’s spin” on the line, or “sartorial mixed with streetwear,” Snyder said.

He said he got a call from Footjoy about collaborating in March 2020 and as a golfer himself, jumped at the chance to partner. “For me to come out with my own golf line doesn’t feel authentic,” he said, but by teaming with one of the game’s best-known names, it helped fuel the business.

“There’s a huge appetite for golf right now and the pandemic really helped jump-start it,” he said. “You’re seeing a lot of celebrities like Steph Curry and younger players getting into it and it’s definitely cooler. There’s a lot of hype happening around golf.”

He said for his FT x TS collection, the footwear has been the most successful, selling out in a day. And the partnership will continue: Snyder is already working on the third and fourth drops for the line, which will come out in September of this year and the spring of 2023.

One brand that has a different perspective on the golf business is Clubhouse Archives, which launched last week. Founded by apparel industry veteran James Costa, the line is focusing on luxury golf sportswear mixed with counterculture streetwear.

Costa described it as “the degenerate version of Ralph Lauren,” and will eventually offer Harrington jackets, performance polos, flat-front pants and other golf-related items. “COVID[-19] sparked interest in golf but it’s a vastly different customer who took up the game.”

Metalwood founder Cole Young grew up playing golf and has seen changes in golf style, pointing to pro golfers Ian Poulter and Rickie Fowler as examples of players who are willing to take fashion risks.

“I’ve seen golf go through a lot of different phases,” Young said. “With the way street and skate has influenced the rest of the world, you’re seeing that with golf. I’ve been waiting a long time for this era in golf to happen or this renaissance period and we’re finally here.”

Prior to launching Metalwood, Young was a buyer at Revolve and Forward by Elyse Walker and worked at Malbon Golf until June 2020. He started Metalwood as a side project and officially launched in April 2021. He described the aesthetic as “inside jokes of washed-up college golfers that never made it. An ode to ourselves and niche references helped me attach to a subculture of a subculture.”

The label, which he describes more as a lifestyle brand, is available at Clubhouse Supply, Manor, NK and Trendy Golf among other stores, and doesn’t sell to country clubs. “I don’t think we will in the future either,” Young said. “I think golf will always be part of the brand’s DNA and will be part of the brand’s ethos, but I will not continue to make this entirely a golf brand.”

As for golf style, Young feels the sport is six to 10 years behind and cites joggers popular in the sport now despite being an older trend. “I think logo mania could have a moment in golf,” he said. “The golf consumer still needs a lot of hand holding when it comes to creating their own taste level and discovering new things.”

Uncommon Golf founder Jonathan Kantor compares the sport’s renaissance to winter sports in the early 2000s and sees some similarities to how Burton Snowboards, where he worked early in his career, revolutionized snow sports. When he started his brand, he looked to the late Canadian pro-golfer Moe Norman as inspiration. Norman was known as one of the best strikers in the sport, but was shunned by pro golf, according to Kantor. “He had a funky swing, natty clothing, an against the grain character. The typical savant — he would go to the range and hit balls for eight hours and they would land 30 yards from each other.”

Uncommon Golf, along with Metalwood, Senna Made and Devereux, are all available at the Hypegolf Clubhouse in New York City, which will remain open through July 24,and Kantor said the shop is appealing to the “underground golf movement. Golf is aging down. The guys winning the PGA Tour are in their mid 20s — it’s a really exciting time. I’d want the sport to look more inclusive and speak to more people and not just wealthy white members.”